Narrative:
The Marikle Chapel of the Annunciation, originally called the Chapel of the Assumption, was designed by Baldwin & Pennington, a well-known Baltimore architectural firm. In the 1890s, the firm also designed buildings for The Johns Hopkins University, the Maryland Club, the Rennert Hotel, as well as other Catholic churches.

Since 1896, the chapel in Theresa Hall on the second floor has been the center of spiritual life on campus. During the 1980s and 1990s, when several historic churches in the Baltimore area underwent restorations, many at Notre Dame who remembered the beauty and splendor of the original chapel began to consider renovations. When the College launched the Legacy of Leadership campaign in 1999, renovation of the chapel became a priority. The $2.5 million restoration was made possible through the generosity of Helen Marikle Passano (class of '69) and her husband, E. Magruder Passano, Jr. The chapel was dedicated on December 14, 2002 and renamed The Marikle Chapel of the Annunciation in tribute to Helen's parents, Henry John and Wanda Mildred Marikle, and to the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

The original chapel was designed in the Byzantine style, with an arched ceiling, an early Renaissance revival nave, and two side aisles. Renovations in 1933 and 1947 maintained the original design and were primarily cosmetic in scope. The 1968 renovation created a post-Vatican II place of worship and significantly changed the look of the original chapel. The 2002 restoration/renovation was done by Murphy & Dittenhafer (Michael Murphy is the son of Frederick Murphy, who designed Fourier Library), an award-winning Baltimore firm that also renovated St. Ignatius Church in Baltimore. This renovation has attempted to recapture the chapel's original design.

References:

Baltimore Sun, December 29, 1954.

BaltimoreSun, March, 4, 2001.

BaltimoreSun, December 8, 2002.

Baltimore Catholic Review, December 12, 2002.

Engelmeyer, Bridget Marie, Fred Shoken, and George Andreve. College of Notre Dame of Maryland. National Register of Historic Places nomination form. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1980.

Marikle Chapel of the Annunciation. Dedication booklet. Baltimore: College of Notre Dame of Maryland, 2002.

Robert A. M. Stern Architects. "History of the College's Physical Development." College of Notre Dame of Maryland Master Plan for the Next Century. New York: Robert A. M. Stern Architects, 1996.